


The Life and Times of Finral Vaude

by Sparrow_Brown



Category: Black Clover - Tabata Yuki (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Bad Parenting, Black Bulls Squad (Black Clover), Dysfunctional Family, Family Issues, Finral Doesn't Get Disowned, Intersex Omegas, Jealousy, Omega Verse, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:28:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23780824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sparrow_Brown/pseuds/Sparrow_Brown
Summary: Finral expected to present as a beta. Sure betas weren’t as strong as alphas and were often less successful than them, but they were average and Finral thought he fit into average well. That was until life decided to throw him a curveball that ruined everything. Facing new struggles as an omega Finral finds himself still trying to appease his family as his father plots his next power grab. At least he wasn’t disowned...That was a good thing, right?
Comments: 10
Kudos: 74





	1. Chapter 1

The Vaude family name came with many expectations and to become the head there was even more. First and foremost, to even be considered a Vaude one had to be born with spatial magic. Finral had succeeded on this part by hereditary alone. His father a Vaude had married a Roulacase, a family that had been lucky enough to have several generations of spatial mages. The Roulacase family were not as renowned, but their abilities had enticed his grandfather enough to arrange the marriage between his son and their daughter. 

Finral knew little of his parents' marriage. Only that it had been amicable and that love never followed. His mother had passed away weeks after his birth due to an illness and his father had mourned little more than a month until he remarried. His father's marriage with Liliane was one of love and Langris was born the following year. 

Even from a young age Langris was exceptional in ways that Finral could never achieve. Langris was studious, confident, and most importantly had powerful combative magic. He fit the image of what the head of the family should be and Finral could understand why. After all the Vaude name was associated with strong offensive spatial magic. It was what they had been known for, for generations. And it was arguably one of the most important traits for a Vaude to have. 

Finral however could not imagine hurting someone with his magic. Could not understand why magic had to be violent and destructive to be considered strong. In the end he was not what his father had hoped for, but Langris was. It did not matter if Finral studied for hours on end and practiced until his mana depleted. He just could not compete with Langris. Yet when their father introduced Finesse Calmreich as the fiancée to the next head, he wanted more than ever to outshine his brother. 

Finesse was the prettiest person he had ever seen. Her voice was soft and fitting of her delicate physique. She was kind too, with a gentle smile that made his heartbeat faster. _I want to marry her,_ he thought when they spoke. But he knew Langris would be the next head, knew that there was no point in even dreaming. 

_There is still one chance,_ a little inner voice whispered to him. _You haven’t presented yet. If you present as an alpha, you would be stronger. Your father would make you head. You could marry Finesse!_

Finral quickly shook the voice away. He had already known his only hope to secure his position was to present as an alpha. It was considered the strongest secondary gender both physically and magically. He knew such a presentation would make his father proud. To have his first-born son present as an alpha was surely something his father would boast about. 

However, he doubted that he would present as an alpha. Whenever he asked someone what they thought he would be he got a resounding answer of beta. Betas were not particularly strong in any regard and were the most common secondary gender. Betas were just average people and Finral supposed he fit into average pretty good. For some reason though he still clung onto a sliver of hope that he would present as an alpha.

A month before his fifteenth birthday Finral had woken in the middle of the night with a sharp pain in his lower abdomen. He felt relief when he curled up into a ball on his side and shortly fell back asleep. When he woke up the pain was worse, and he felt fevery. At some point a maid had walked in to find him still in bed.

“Are you alright Young Master?” She whispered. 

Finral curled in on himself tighter and shook his head. “No.” He answered through clenched teeth. 

He watched as she hesitantly put the back of her hand to his forehead before she quickly pulled it away with a gasp. “You're burning up! I-I’ll go get Master Ledior.” 

His father was the last thing Finral wanted. He just wanted the pain to go away, but before he could say anything the maid ran out the door. Alone again he dug at his stomach with his fingertips, putting pressure on the pain. It felt like his insides were contorting on each other and his mana seemed to concentrate there as if it was helping to push and pull his organs around. _I’m dying,_ he thought as he shut his eyes tight and cried through a really bad stabbing sensation. _It hurts, it hurts, it hurts. God, please just make this pain go away._

He blacked out at some point. When he woke up again, he felt delirious and hot from the fever. His vision was unfocused, and the room spun when he turned his head. The pain was worse than ever, it had even expanded to below his waist. His pajama pants felt wet and through the agony he wondered if he had soiled himself, but when he looked, they were red with blood. Something was very wrong, yet he could not move to get up. The pain was too great to do little more than cry.

Finral did not know how much time had passed since the maid left, but he heard his door open shortly after he woke up. The first person to enter seemed mad. Their footsteps sounded heavy, as if they were trying to show their displeasure of coming in. They were soon followed by someone in heels. 

“He’s probably faking.” A feminine voice said. “Trying to get our attention.” 

The person with the heavy footsteps stopped when they reached his bedside.

“Finral?”

Finral opened his eyes to see his father peering down at him, with a contemplative look. Like the maid his father reached out to touch his forehead. His touch was cool and Finral was disappointed when he moved his hand away. 

“Call the doctor, Liliane.” His father said. 

“Why?” 

“He’s presenting.” He said. 

Finral felt him lift his bedding and watched as his father’s blue eyes widen. He looked worried, but that could not be right. His father never showed concern, especially not for him. 

“I didn’t need a doctor when I was presenting.” Liliane said with a haughty tone.

“There’s blood, Liliane.”

“So. That’s normal.”

“Dammit, Liliane! I said to call the doctor.” 

Finral had never heard his father yell at Liliane before. Liliane seemed equally surprised as she fell silent.

“ _Liliane_.”

“I’m going!” She said as she left slamming the door behind her. 

Finral tried speaking to his father. Tried to apologize for the maid bringing him in. But his tongue felt heavy in his mouth and the words that came out were slurred. He could not even piece together a sentence. 

“Don’t speak.” His father said, after listening to him mumble through a few words. 

Finral pressed his lips together tightly and closed his eyes again. All he wanted was to roll over and hide himself from his father, who was probably wondering how he had such a wimp for a son. The last thing he remembered before sleep took him again was the sound of his father pacing. 

The next time he awakens it is by someone manhandling him into an upright position. He whines through the pain as they force him to sit up, his words an unintelligible mess. 

“I know.” The manhandler said. “But I have something for the pain.”

Then someone was shoving a spoon filled with medicine into his mouth. The medicine was thick like syrup and tasted so bitter that it was hard not to gag it back up. 

“You’ll feel better soon.” The manhandler said as they finally let him lay back down. Finral then drifted off to sleep again.

It was morning when he finally woke up coherent enough to piece together his thoughts. His body felt too heavy to move and he just laid on his back blinking up at his ceiling. The events from yesterday seemed almost like a dream, but he could still feel twinges of pain and the fever had left him feeling clammy. Tears of relief pricked at the corners of his eyes and he smiled relieved that the worse of the pain was gone. 

The same maid from yesterday walked in a while later with a tray of food. “Oh, good you're awake.” She said as she sat the tray down on his desk. 

He moved to sit up but cringed as pain traveled through him. 

“Let me help you.” The maid said as she rushed to his side. She put an arm around his shoulders and helped him sit upright before she reached behind him to fluff up his pillows. 

“I’m sorry.” He said. He felt pitiful and ashamed. 

The maid looked to be in her late twenties. She wore her reddish-brown hair in a loose bun and had dark green eyes that twinkled when she smiled. Finral did not know her and he wondered if she was a new staff member. She acted too familiar, which did not bother Finral though he wondered how long she would last until his stepmother fired her. 

“Why are you sorry?” The maid asked with a smile. 

He looked down at his lap and fiddled with the edge of his sheet as he tried to come up with an answer. “Well, you see…”

“You don’t have an answer do you.” She said as she brought the tray over. “And that’s okay, Young Master. You have nothing to apologize for.” 

She put the tray over his lap. There were two pieces of buttered toast on a plate, alongside a small pot of strawberry jam, and a bowl of assorted fruits. It was not much food and it was not what he usually ate. _But that is okay,_ he thought as he began to spread the jam on the bread. _I’m not really hungry._

“Tea or water?” The maid asked as she moved over to his window. She opened the curtains quickly making a loud _swoosh_ sound letting bright morning light flood into his bedroom.

“Water please.” He said.

She nodded and went to pour some from a pitcher by his bedside. “In a little bit you get to take more medicine.” She said as she handed him the glass. 

He took it from her with a nod of thanks. 

“Oh! And I’m supposed to tell you your father’s coming to see you after breakfast.” She said.

Finral choked on a sip of water and she patted him on the back as he coughed. “What?”

“Your father’s coming to see you.” She repeated. 

“Why?”

Her eyebrows furrowed and her smile seemed a bit uncertain. “To check on you.” 

His father never checked on him. Once when he was eight, he had been ill in bed for a week with the flu. The man had not checked on him the entire time. When Finral had been able to come down to breakfast again, his father stared at him for a moment and monotonously asked if he was better. No, something was wrong if his father was coming to see him.

“Is it that unusual for a father to check on his child after presenting?” The maid asked. 

“Huh?” Finral said, startled from his thoughts. It took a moment for his brain to catch up with her words. “Wait…I _presented!”_

The maid snorted and smiled at him endearingly. 

“Yes.” She answered.

Finral’s eyes widened and he sunk further back into his pillows in amazement. “Really?” 

“Yes, really.” She said between a giggle. 

“ _That’s_ what that pain was. I thought I was dying.” 

“We all do.” She said. “No one ever tells ya how bad it's going to be.” 

Finral took a bite of his toast as he stared off in thought. His idea of presenting had been very vague. He had always pictured it as going to bed one night and then waking up the next day with a secondary gender. His experience however was not so easy, and he never wanted to repeat it. One question kept tugging at his mind though.

He looked at the maid with a determined gaze even though his stomach twisted in worry. “What am I?” He asked.

She smiled again, a large one that made the skin around her eyes crinkle.

“Congratulations,” she began. “You’ve presented as an omega.”

The toast fell from his hands and his thoughts froze. Then he sat up straighter, sweat breaking out on the back of his neck and his heart racing. _What?!_ _No, no, no, no, no,_ he kept thinking as he shook his head in disbelief. _I can’t be an omega._

The maid however only looked quizzical as he continued to shake his head in denial. “Is something wrong?” She asked. 

_Of course, something is wrong!_

“Oh!” She said as if she suddenly realized something. “Were you hoping for something else?”

 _Of course, I was!_ He thought as he buried his face in his hands. _This is a disaster._

“There’s nothing wrong with being an omega you know. I’m one myself.” She said with pride. 

Finral did not hear her over his own thoughts. He was supposed to beat the odds and present as an alpha. Instead his body decided to aim lower and be an omega. It was not that being an omega was bad and maybe in a different life he would have been happy with it. It was just they were not known for being strong like alphas. In fact, they were thought of as being the weakest sex. 

He laid against his pillows again with a weary sigh. _Father’s probably coming to disown me._

The maid seemed to have enough of his attitude as she urged him to sit back up. “You need to eat. Presenting takes a lot out of a person. Hurry up now you don’t have much longer.” 

He slowly picked at his food, only taking a bite when she would glare at him. When he was done, she took the tray and left. He sunk back into his bed and stared at his ceiling resigned to whatever fate his father had for him. 

His father came alone, which Finral hoped was a good sign. If he were being disowned, he was sure Liliane would have accompanied Ledior, eager to give Finral the news. His father pulled out his desk chair and brought it over to his bedside. They exchanged greetings, but his father fell quiet afterwards. Ledior seemed lost in his thoughts as he stared downward at the floor and Finral was too afraid to say anything. 

“Do you know what you presented as?” Ledior asked.

Finral met his father’s eyes for a second and then looked off to the side. “Yes.”

“Do you understand the implications of it?”

“Yes.” He mumbled. 

His father sighed and ran a hand down his face as he slumped over. “I had great hopes for you, Finral. Your mother did too.”

Finral clasped his hand together and stared down at them. It was not often that his father spoke of his mother.

“She was so strong.” Ledior said. He seemed trapped in a memory, but then he surfaced again and straightened his back. “Unless Langris presents as an omega too, you're no longer eligible to become the head of our family.”

Finral nodded. He had already figured that out, yet he still had to ask. “Finesse?”

“Finesse Calmreich is engaged to the head of Vaude. Besides that, you know that a marriage between two omegas is frowned upon.” Ledior answered.

“I know.” Finral hated how he sounded. His voice seemed so weak, but he curled his fingers into his comforter and looked back at his father. “So, now what?”

“Now we continue on with life.” Ledior said as he met his stare. “You’ll have more lessons and soon it will be time for you to get your grimoire. Then you will attend the Magic Knights Entrance Exam and I expect you to show that you are worthy of House of Vaude. Just because you're an omega now does not mean weakness can be excused.” 

Finral nodded and looked away. “I understand.”

His father nodded back. “Well…” He said as he rose back to his feet. “I’ll let you rest.” 

His father then made his way to the door, before he opened it, he added as if it was an afterthought. “Congratulations on presenting.”

Finral was speechless for a moment, but quickly stuttered out. “Th-thank you!”

His father turned to him once more. A smile at his lips that Finral would never be sure he really saw as his father left quickly after that. 

The next few days after his father’s visit were spent in bed. It was doctor’s orders and Finral did not have much strength to be moving around. Presenting apparently took a lot out of a person both physically and magically. He found himself reliant on the staff and it was not until the third day that he was able to open a small portal. Bedrest was not fun, but he was free from most of his obligations and there was something wonderful about not having to attend lessons. 

His father did not visit again, and Liliane never bothered. His friends were kept away and with nothing to do Finral decided to bury his nose in books. If there was one good thing about being a Vaude then it was their expansive library. They had all kinds of collections of books from ones about spatial magic and complex mathematical theories to ones about philosophy and foreign lands. He had been particularly keen on a set of journals left behind by one of his great-great-great Aunts, who had decided to travel the world. 

Her adventures had been vast and numerous. Some entries detailed the customs of foreign cultures, while others were about sights, she had seen and fights she had gotten into. Finral did not think he could ever be like her, but there was something exciting in reading about her life. He had been disappointed when he opened a portal in front of the bookshelf the journals were located on to find the third volume missing. 

By the fourth day Finral found that everything smelled more potent. Like his nose had been sealed for most of his life until then, making everything smell a bit dull in comparison. He did not like it; it was overwhelming, and he felt foolish each time he pitched his nose to keep the worse of the smells out. The maid, (Monique he later learned) would laugh at him as she served him his meals. There were some foods he just could not stand anymore, and he wondered if fish had always smelled so _fishy_. 

“You’ll get used to it over time.” Monique said as she took the offending dish away. 

On the fifth day he noticed that Monique smelt heavily of flowers. He could not decipher which flower it was, but every time she walked in it was like she brought a flower garden with her. 

“Your perfume smells nice.” He said to her when she brought him his lunch.

“Thank you, but I’m not wearing any.” 

“Really? But you smell like flowers.” He said as he fiddled with his fork.

“That’s just my scent.”

“Oh.” He supposed he should have figured out that people would smell stronger too. 

A child’s nose was not as attuned to people's scents as an adult’s was. His father had always smelt like pine to him, but he had to be within touching distance to pick up on it. 

“What do I smell like?” Finral asked as Monique began to leave to let him eat. 

“Well…You _all_ smell a little like metal.” 

“Metal?”

“Yeah, but that’s underlying.” She then seemed to think hard for a moment, taking in deep breaths through her nose. “ _You_ smell kind of sweet.”

“Sweet? Like candy?” He asked.

“Hmm, no it's not a sugar type of sweet. I’m sorry I can’t place it.”

“Oh,” he said. 

He must have looked disappointed because she quickly continued with, “I think you smell really nice. I just can’t figure out what it is. You should ask someone else. Maybe they’ll know.”

“Thank you, Monique.” He said and gave her a smile. 

She returned it and then left. 

On the sixth day of bedrest, he was tired of lying in bed. He felt board and restless. His legs twitched with bent up energy and he was eager to run around. It was as he was contemplating doing just that that someone knocked on his door. He did not get the chance to call out as the door opened. Langris walked through, his face blank of emotion. 

Finral blinked in disbelief. He never expected Langris to come visit him. His brother rarely sought him out. It had always been Finral that went looking for Langris and even then, he always wondered if he pestered him too much.

“Langris!” Finral’s voice came out too loud and a bit squeaky. He watched as Langris stilled in the doorway. He seemed to be wincing and Finral tried to curb the anxiety he felt. _It’s Langris. Your little brother. Don’t be so nervous._

Finral swallowed and began again. “G-good afternoon.”

Langris still looked a bit put off but walked in closing the door behind him. 

Encouraged, Finral continued. Allowing the words to rush out faster than he could think them. “How have you been? I hope you haven’t been studying too much. It isn’t good to just study all the time. You should go out and play sometimes-”

“I'm fine.” 

Finral smiled wondering if it looked as shaky as he felt. “I’m glad. This big brother of yours worries about you, you know?” He said as he pointed to himself.

Langris sighed. It was long and withdrawn like he could not believe that he really had to deal with Finral. 

“Come sit.” Finral said as he patted a space of bed next to him.

Langris’s whole face scrunched up in disgust. 

“I’m not staying long. I only came to give you this.” Langris said as he held up a book. 

It was the third volume of their great aunt’s journals. 

Finral’s smile felt easy as his heart warmed. “Thank you.” He said as Langris handed it over. “How did you know?”

Langris fingers flexed by his sides before he curled them in. It was the only tick Finral had ever seen him do and he wondered why his brother would be so worried as to do it now.

“I keep seeing you opening up portals in the library. It's freaky by the way, when a hand just comes out of nowhere and grabs a book.” 

“Sorry.” Finral said sheepishly.

Langris shrugged and continued. “I saw you open and close a portal without taking a book and figured you didn’t find what you were looking for.”

“The book was missing.” Finral said as he held it up.

“Father had it in his study.”

“Oh, well thank you.”

“Your welcome.”

Silence fell over them. Finral was lost for words and Langris seemed pensive as he stared out the window. Suddenly, Finral remembered his conversation with Monique about scents. Langris did not smell strong, probably due to him being unpresented. But Finral could smell that metallic tang that Monique mentioned. _I wonder if it’s because of our magic._ Portals always smelled like strong concentrations of petrichor and the smell tended to linger after one was closed. It would make sense for them to smell like it and Finral wondered if others found it unpleasant.

“What do I smell like?” Finral asked. 

Langris turned to him with a raised brow. “ _Excuse_ me?” 

“What do I smell like?” Finral smiled again and rubbed the back of his head nervously. “Now that I presented, I smell different, right?” 

Langris looked more disgusted as he wrinkled up his nose at him. “Ask someone else.”

“I did. But they couldn’t figure it out.” He brought his hands together. “Please Langris. It really helps this big brother of yours out.”

“Stop saying that.” Langris grumbled. But he took a step closer, instead of running out the door and Finral felt oddly successful. 

Langris leaned in and took a deep breath through his nose. He closed his eyes, his lips tightening in a thoughtful frown. Finral was reminded of their father tasting a new wine, allowing the aroma to settle in his mouth before he even took a sip. 

“Vanilla.” He said easily.

“Wow, as expected of such a talented younger brother,” Finral said. He was trying for a compliment, but Langris only seemed pained. Quickly he added, “Is it nice?”

“It’s a bit plain, though I suppose we should be grateful that it is something well liked.”

“Thank you.” _I think._

“I’m sure it will help even someone like you get a suitor.” Langris said as he stepped back. 

“I…” Finral had to force a smile. It felt too tight and he knew it did not reach his eyes. “I’m sure your right.”

Langris then huffed out an exasperated sigh as he turned to leave. 

“Thank you again for the book!” Finral called after him.

Langris waved his hand dismissively and left.

When the door closed Finral set the book aside and laid back down, pulling his sheets over his head as he gripped at his hair as Langris’s words ran through his head. Up until this point his main concern about being an omega was adapting to the changes of his body. So many things were different, but he had not thought about what it meant for the future. 

Society dictated that omegas were wives and mothers. The House of Vaude was an old and esteemed house and after Langris married Finesse their name would be synonymous with royalty, she was after all the King’s grandniece. Now that he was no longer an eligible option to become the head of their household, his father could do whatever he wanted with him and an arranged a marriage did not seem unlikely. Especially, if his father could use it to his advantage. 

_I’m sure it will help even someone like you get a suitor_. Langris’s voice echoed in his head for the rest of the day and well into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

After a week of bedrest Finral was more than excited to stretch his legs. He had breakfast in bed one last time and afterwards dressed for the day. Finral usually portaled to his lessons, but he decided to walk instead. It felt good to move and see something other than his bedroom. Finral was happy and relieved to live his life again. 

However, he was also worried. 

Presenting as an omega was never supposed to happen. Vaudes were not meant to be weak and that is what many considered omegas to be. Finral had hoped to be an alpha but being a beta would have been so much better than being an omega. His father had not seemed too displeased, but Finral really did not know what to expect in the long run. 

Finral paused in front of the library doors. Now that he thought about it, he was not sure he wanted to return to normal life yet. At least locked away in his bedroom he was safe from hearing any criticism over his presentation. 

Finral looked at the large double doors that led to the library and turned on his heel. _I’m not ready for this,_ he thought as he walked back towards his room. _Maybe tomorrow-_

“Young Master Finral, where do you think you’re going?” 

Finral froze mid step. The voice that called out was older with a distinct nasal note to it. Finral knew that voice. 

Slowly Finral turned to face an older gentleman coming down an adjoining hallway. He wore a heavy looking green coat and walked slowly as if in pain. Over his shoulder was a large brown satchel that was overly stuffed with books. He was balding with only a few wisps of white hair left and a pair of round spectacles sat on his nose. This was Uncle Aubert. Not only was he family, but he was also Finral’s and Langris’s teacher. 

They were family in a very convoluted way. When tracing the Vaude family tree Uncle Aubert’s branch was far from the trunk that was the main family. Yet he had made a name for himself as a scholar and was brought in to teach Finral’s father when he was a boy. The man was never dismissed and continued to live and teach on the Vaude estate. 

Finral smiled at him nervously feeling caught. 

“I was just going to grab something.” Finral said. 

Uncle Aubert only stared. 

Finral looked off to the side then back at him, but he was still staring.

“Uhm…”

“Young Master Finral.” Uncle Aubert said as he walked up to him. “It is good to see you feeling better. A presentation is never easy. Especially for male omegas like us.” 

“Oh, yes. It was… quite something.”

Uncle Aubert laughed. “I’m sure it was.” 

Finral relaxed a bit at the laugh. 

“Now come with me.” He said as he clapped Finral on the back. “I’m sure Langris is already waiting for us.” 

_Guess there is no getting out of it now,_ Finral mournfully thought as he walked beside Uncle Aubert to the library. 

“I was hoping you would show up today.” Uncle Aubert said. “Since hearing about your presentation, I have been wanting to give you this.” Uncle Aubert stopped walking to rummage through his satchel. He pulled out a thin green book and handed it to Finral.

Presentation gifts were commonly given by family and close friends. The gifts were meant to be representative of the presenter’s secondary gender. Despite magic being the weapon of choice for many, it was common to give alphas swords and daggers. Betas were often given books as they were thought of as a practical gift, while omegas tended to get jewelry.

Finral gently took the book from Uncle Aubert. It was an old book; the spine was worn and some of the pages were dog-eared. Finral could tell it was well loved. The title in gold script read: _Before Summer Comes_. The title made Finral think it was a romance book and perhaps a cheesy one too. He was a bit surprised to receive such a book from Uncle Aubert who he always took for a studious man. 

“Thank you.” Finral said. He could feel himself smiling and he felt light with happiness.

The book was his first presentation present and he doubted his parents would even bother to get him a gift. It did not matter that it was worn or a genre Finral did not read he just felt happy to be thought of.

“I know it is used, but it is no longer in production.” Uncle Aubert said. Then he leaned in close and lowered his voice to a whisper. “You see Finral it was quite scandalous when it came out.”

“R-r-really?” Finral felt his cheeks heat.

Uncle Aubert laughed. “Not in the way you're probably thinking.”

Embarrassed Finral looked away.

“No. People at the time didn’t enjoy the premise of it. The protagonist, an omega trying to decide between love and a political marriage was not well viewed at the time.”

Finral knew something like that was _still_ not viewed favorably as arranged marriages were still a popular choice among nobility. Any advantages one could make that were political or magical were best taken. Love did not matter as much as strength did and to choose love over power was probably not a message nobility back then wanted their children to hear. 

“I remember how mad my mother was when he found me reading it. He took it and threw it the fire. ‘Good omegas don’t read things like this.’ He had said. But I was a bit rebellious in my youth and bought another copy. Had to keep it hidden under a floorboard.” 

For as long as Finral had known Uncle Aubert he always thought him rule abiding and somewhat boring. He could not even imagine him as a boy hiding things from his mother. This was a side of him Finral never expected to see and he held the book closer understanding just how precious it was. 

“I can’t take this. It sounds too special.” Finral said. 

“No, no. I want you to have it Finral. Besides, I know every line.” Uncle Auburn said. 

“I…Thank you so much.”

“You're very welcome.” Uncle Auburn said with a smile. “Now we best get going. I’m sure Langris is wondering what is taking us so long.” 

Finral nodded and they made their way to the library.

Lessons with Uncle Aubert were the same as usual. Uncle Aubert taught Finral and Langris many things, but his lessons were more of a personal study time than a lecture. It was calm and familiar and the normalness of it all was a relief for Finral. Sitting next to Langris and going over a new math theory together was oddly enjoyable. It was one of the rare times he did not feel like less to Langris. Finral felt comfortable enough that he wondered why he was even worried about coming today. 

Then came the practical magic lesson. 

Over the years they have had many teachers. From musicians for music lessons to a woman from the capitol who specialized in dance and etiquette. Uncle Aubert was one of the few teachers that had remained constant in Finral’s and Langris’s lives. Others were short lived due to specialization or fired for being inadequate. The only other teacher that had been a constant was their own father.

Finral remembered magic lessons being fun at first. There was a time when he was young that he made a portal the size of an adult’s fist and was able to keep it open for over a minute. At the time it was a big success for him as he had not been able to control his powers with much accuracy. His father had grinned at him and ruffled his hair while giving him praise. 

That was before his father started to train Langris. 

Now Finral was lucky if he left the room without a disapproving look. It did not help that Liliane insisted on watching the lessons. Finral always felt uncomfortable with her showering praise over Langris. It was not that his brother did not deserve it, because he did. He just never liked how she would look over and smirk at him afterwards. _You're not good enough,_ the look always seemed to say. _See how much better my son is. You can’t ever beat him. You're just a failure._

Langris did not even need their father’s help anymore and Finral’s magic never seemed to be enough for their father. The lesson was more of a time for them to use their magic, while their parents watched. Finral always worked on making his portals bigger and trying to make them last longer. But who could compete with Langris taking a huge chunk out of a column and transporting it out of existence?

“If you want to become a magic knight you need to be stronger, Finral.” Ledior said. He was standing behind Finral watching as he practiced. His stare was more intense than ever, and he seemed intent on pointing out each flaw. “How do you expect to protect yourself if you can’t attack the enemy?”

Finral uneasily chuckled. “I’d portal out.”

His father’s stare sharpened into a glare. 

“I need you to try and not be an embarrassment to our family. Look at your brother.” Ledior pointed over to Langris. 

Langris stood at the opposite side of the room from them. A servant was throwing balls at him and Langris would use his magic to make the ball disappear before it could even touch him. Liliane was smiling brightly and applauding with each success. 

“Imagine how strong you could be if you used your powers correctly.” Ledior said. 

There was a proud look in his eyes and a wide grin on his face as he watched Langris.

When he looked back at Finral his eyes harden again. “If you had even half the potential of your brother maybe you would have presented differently.”

Finral blinked back the sting of tears and looked down at his shoes. He wondered how mad his father would be if he just portaled out now. _Pretty mad,_ he thought as he opened a new portal. The portal was small and shaky. Finral heard his father sigh and he felt his disapproving stare on his back. _Should have stayed in bed,_ he thought as the portal quickly flickered out. 

Dinner was worse than lessons. 

They always had dinner in the formal dining room. The room was designed for parties and the table was long enough to fit ten people comfortably. There was always a fresh bouquet of flowers in the middle of the table and they would be perfectly centered with the crystal chandelier above them. The walls were a pastel green with white wainscoting and the floors were a rich dark wood. Ledior sat at one end of the table while Liliane sat at the other end. Finral sat in the middle facing Langris who was staring off to the side looking board. 

Usually Liliane would talk about her plans for the next day. Today though when Finral pulled out his chair and sat down she stared at him with a hard look in her eyes that could mean nothing good. Finral looked away from her, hoping that without direct eye contact she would be less motivated to talk to him. It did not work. He could still feel her stare and when he looked back at her she smiled. 

Liliane’s smiles were never kind when directed to him. Her lips painted in a rosy pink always seemed to stretch a little too high and reveal too many teeth. When she smiled at Langris it was a gentle upcurve with pride warming her light brown eyes. Finral had learned to see the difference early on in life. How she treated him and Langris was as clear as the contrast of black and white. 

Finral tried to forgive her for how she treated him. He knew that Liliane did not love him. He thought it was okay. He was not her son and he could not live up to the perfection that was Langris in her eyes. Langris was a prodigy and Liliane was well within her rights to boast about him. Even Finral was proud of his brother's achievements. Yet, despite trying to be okay with Liliane’s treatment it always made his heart sting in an unbearable way. 

_Okay,_ Finral thought as he weakly smiled back at Liliane. _Let’s just get this over with._

“Good evening,” he said. 

Liliane sat up taller in her seat with the recognition and her eyes grew sharper.

“It's been awhile since you’ve been down to have dinner with us.” She said. 

“Yes, it has been.” Finral agreed.

Servants began to bring the food out as Liliane continued speaking. “When I presented, I was only in bed for a day.” 

“Th-That’s impressive.” Finral answered. He was not sure where she was going with this, but he hoped paying her compliments would help make her be a little kinder. 

“You're a beta Liliane.” Ledior said. 

Surprised his father spoke Finral turned to him. Ledior was looking down at his own plate cutting through a steak. 

“So?” Liliane asked. She was frowning at his father and her hands gripped her cloth napkin tightly. 

“Presenting is always easier for betas, you know that.” Ledior set down his silverware and looked at Liliane. “It's worse for alphas and omegas.” 

They had a brief stare off before Liliane looked away and pursed her lips. Finral had never seen them argue even a little bit. He could still remember his father shouting at her the day he presented, but that seemed like a onetime occurrence. Finral looked over at Langris trying to see if he noticed the odd behavior too. 

Langris was staring down at his food with furrowed brows. _Of course, he notices Finral!_ Finral thought with a metal facepalm. 

Finral wanted to ease his brother’s thoughts. Let him know that they had nothing to worry about, because he was sure that their parents were fine. So, he gently nudged Langris's foot under the table. Langris shot up in his seat. His fork fell against his plate with a loud _clang_! He looked at Finral with wide eyes. 

“What’s the matter Langris?” Ledior asked. 

“Are you alright Langris?” Liliane said at the same time. She leaned over the table; her expression filled with worry.

“I’m fine.” Langris said as he glared at Finral. 

Finral shrunk into his seat. _Well, that didn’t go as planned._

However, Liliane no longer seemed angry as she turned to her son. “I’m sure we can expect you to present soon Langris.” 

“Yes.” Ledior said, “Siblings who are close in age tend to present close together.”

Finral watched Langris put on a large happy smile, though his eyes did not crinkle like he was genuinely happy. 

“I’m sure I’ll get stronger after I present.” He said.

“Oh, I’m sure you will.” Liliane said. “I’m sure you’ll present as alpha.”

“Yes.” Ledior agreed. “You are already strong enough that there’s no way you could present as anything less.”

Finral wanted to disappear as everyone seemed to turn to look at him at the same time.

“I’m sure you’ll be an alpha too.” Finral said quietly. 

“Well of course,” Liliane began. She turned back to Langris with a smile. “Afterall no son of mine would present as anything less.”

Langris smiled back at her pleasantly. 

“I already cannot deal with the embarrassment of that child being an omega.” Liliane said as she looked at Finral with a frown.

Finral forced himself to laugh. When Liliane’s frown only deepened Finral looked away and put a forkful of food in his mouth. _I hope Langris presents as an omega,_ he thought. Though he quickly shook the thought away. _Don’t think like that. It is not nice._

Finral thought he would hate going back to his bedroom at the end of the day, but he could not wait for dinner to end. He wanted nothing more than to hide in his room and try to forget that today ever happened. 

When dinner was finally over. Finral quickly made his way to his bedroom and flopped down on his bed. He kept going over the dinner in his mind and wondered how much better life would be if he _was_ Liliane’s son. He could almost picture it. He would have his father’s blue eyes like Langris did instead of the purple he inherited from his mother. His magic would have taken after Liliane’s fire magic and he would use it to fight offensively. _Would Liliane like me then? Would father?_

A knock on his bedroom door startled him out of his thoughts. 

“Young Master Finral?” Monique called. 

“Come in!”

Finral watched Monique open the door. She was smiling and holding a small package. Finral got up and walked over to Monique a bit curious. 

“This came for you,” she said. She held out the package and Finral took it from her.

The package was a small square and neatly wrapped in red paper. On top was a white envelope and written on it was: _To Finral Vaude, From Finesse Calmreich._

Finral’s breath caught and his heart seemed to skip a beat. Finesse had never sent him anything before and he eagerly went over to his desk for a letter opener. 

_Dear Finral,_

_I hope you are well. Ledior sent my uncle a letter confirming that Langris will be the next Head of Vaude and my fiancé. Perhaps it is wrong of me to confess this, but I feel like you and I could have found a greater happiness together. That being said it is my hope we can continue our relationship as friends._

_Congratulations on presenting,_

_Finesse_

Finral had to wipe tears away. He was happy to hear from Finesse, but her letter only confirmed that they really did not have a future together. 

“Finral?” He heard Monique say. “Are you okay?”

Finral nodded. “I’m fine.” When he turned to Monique, she was looking at him worriedly. “Really I’m fine.” 

“Okay,” she said. 

Though Finral had a feeling she did not believe him. 

“Maybe you should open the present.” 

Finral had almost forgotten about the package that came with the letter. He had been so excited to read something from Finesse that it slipped his mind. Monique seemed eager to see what he had gotten, and he wondered if that was the only reason why she lingered. 

Gently he pulled at the paper trying his best not to tear it. Underneath was a black jewelry case and inside that sat a pair of small hoop earrings and a note. 

_I remember you once said you loved the color green._

_-Finesse_

“Oh! How pretty.” Monique said. 

And they were. Finral took one out and held it up to get a better look. The earring was made from a dark green stone and was cool to the touch. He had seen Liliane wear a similar stone before. Apparently, his father had gotten it from a foreign market and said the stone was jade. The earrings were nice looking though Finesse could have sent him anything and he would have found it endearing. He would have put the earrings on right away too, but there was just one problem.

“I can’t wear earrings.” Finral said.

Monique smiled. “Sure, you can. Plenty of boys wear earrings even alphas.”

“No. Monique, I can’t wear them.” Finral said as he pointed to his left ear. “My ears aren’t pierced.”

Monique was quiet for a moment and then she smiled again. “Don’t worry we can _easily_ fix that.”

All of the sudden it seemed like Monique’s smile looked a bit sinister. 

“We can?” Finral asked. 

“Yup! Just need a needle and an ice cube.” She said. “Be right back!”

Finral watched her as she ran out of his bedroom. He looked down at the earrings again before he stared at his door. He had a bad feeling about this...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, bookmarking and leaving kudos. Also, I know I’m not the best at responding, but thank you for the comments too. I really do appreciate hearing your thoughts. Plot wise I wanted to give Finral gifts that mattered. So Finral’s earrings became a gift from Finesse. I know his earrings are simply a dark green, but when researching earrings that would be similar, I think they would have to be made from a resin or maybe some type of metal. Those options didn’t seem like a good gift from a royal to a noble, so I went with jade. Sorry if this chapter got a bit boring... Anyways I think the next chapter will be more exciting than this one.  
> Hope you enjoyed,  
> Sparrow Brown

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and thank you for reading. This is my first Black Clover fanfic and I’m still trying to get a feel for the characters, so sorry for any OOC. I would love to hear what you think. I have several different ideas for this story, but I’m not sure what direction I’ll take yet.   
> Hope you all are staying safe with all the craziness that’s going on,   
> Sparrow Brown


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